Animal waste from the farms of California’s fertile Central Valley will soon be used to fuel up a new generation of ultra-clean cars and trucks, Toyota announced Thursday during a news conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

One of the industry’s biggest proponents of fuel-cell vehicles, or FCVs, Toyota hopes the Tri-Gen Project it is setting up at the Port of Long Beach, in suburban Los Angeles, will help overcome the chicken-and-egg problem that has so far limited acceptance of hydrogen power: the lack of a production and distribution network.

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“We believe hydrogen technology has the potential to become the powertrain of the future,” said Doug Murtha, a group vice president for strategic planning with Toyota’s North American operations. Adding the project, which will generate 1.2 tons of hydrogen a day, will be “a key milestone in Toyota’s larger commitment to clean mobility.” (more…)

Lincoln's Kumar Galhotra says the brand will be returning to using names for its cars rather than letters.

Lincoln is getting rid of the often confusing letter-based nomenclature that it has used for the past several years.

Kumar Galhotra, president of the Lincoln Motor Car Co., said during the Lincoln press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show that the names such as MKX are going away. In the future Lincoln vehicles will have names that suggest travel and serve to underscore Lincoln’s commitment to making every customer’s journey of any kind more “effortless,” he said.

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The theme already fits with names such as Navigator and Continental that Lincoln has used over the years. The name Nautilus, which will be used for the vehicle replacing the Lincoln MKX fits because its Latin root means sailor or seafarer. (more…)

Nissan continues unveiling new Star Wars-themed vehicles, including the Titan ATM-6 at the LA Auto Show.

Nissan is clearly hoping the Force is with it. The Japanese automaker launched a tie-up with that galactic powerhouse, the Star Wars empire, last year, going so far as to build a full-size Tie Fighter for use at several of its auto show stands. Now, it’s upping the ante.

For the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show Nissan has created a full seven custom vehicles based on Star Wars lore, including one revealed to a crowd of journalists Thursday morning that blends a heavy duty laser cannon with one of its Titan pickups.

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There’s a new series of television and Internet commercials that show Nissan owners fantasizing about dodging dogfights and Storm Troopers. And beloved ‘droid characters like R2D2 and BB8 are helping sell Nissan products through the use of a new augmented reality system being installed at Nissan’s U.S. showrooms. (more…)

GM CEO Mary Barra said the company is pushing toward zero crashes and zero congestion with its driverless vehicles.

General Motors wants to pull drivers out of some of its cars in a bit to leapfrog competitors like Ford and Google spin-off Waymo. The U.S. automotive giant told Wall Street analysts meeting in Detroit Thursday that it wants to launch a self-driving ride-sharing fleet by 2019.

Though autonomous technology is coming online fast, that’s well ahead of the timetable that many analysts had expected until recently. And it could lead to massive changes not only in how people drive but who drives. Ride-sharing leaders like Lyft and Uber have predicted that with driverless vehicles the cost of their services will drop to the point they will be far cheaper, per mile, than what it costs to own and operate a personal vehicle. And then there are the potential safety and congestion benefits.

Ron Cogan, editor of Green Car Journal, presents Honda's Steven Center with the trophy for the Green Car of the Year: the Honda Clarity.

After years of slow growth, electric propulsion seems to finally be gaining traction, or so one might suspect based on the number of announcements being made just this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

More battery-based and hydrogen-powered vehicles than ever are on display at the L.A. Convention Center, with manufacturers promising to add hundreds more hybrids, plug-ins, battery-electric vehicles and fuel-cell vehicles over the next few years.

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The L.A. Auto Show also saw the results of a shoot-out between the environmentally friendly vehicles already on the market, with the Honda Clarity being named Green Car of the Year. The decision was based, in part, the editor of Green Car Journal explained, on the fact that Honda is offering three different alternatives of the Clarity: a hydrogen-powered model, a plug-in hybrid and an all-electric version. (more…)

The influence of the California market has on the management of Porsche AG was clearly on display during the press days leading into the Los Angeles Auto Show as the German sports car maker unveiled not one but four new sports cars and the new Porsche Cayenne in the U.S. for the first time.

Oliver Blume, Porsche’s chief executive officer, noted that if California was an independent country, it would be Porsche’s fifth-largest market and Porsche has always paid attention to the preferences of enthusiasts in California who have been instrumental in shaping the Porsche product line throughout the company’s life.

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“Our cars are built in Southern Germany but they always seem to look better here in Southern California,” Blume said. (more…)

Subaru of America President Thomas Doll introduces the dogs that "drove" the new Ascent onto the stage at the LA. Auto Show.

With the help of family of charming and well-behaved Golden Retrievers, Subaru officially unveiled a major addition to its product line, the 2019 Subaru Ascent, a family-oriented, three-row crossover vehicle.

Subaru executives note Subaru of America Inc. is building on nine consecutive years of sales growth. Sales have doubled in the just the past five years, added Tom Doll, Subaru of America president. The addition of a three-row SUV, the largest vehicle Subaru has ever built, will help maintain the company’s sales momentum next year, he added.

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The Ascent draws on Subaru’s history of delivering a solid driving experience while the Ascent also offers a spacious interior, comfortable and flexible seating options and a host of new safety, driver assist and in-vehicle technologies. (more…)

The 2019 Kia Sorento gets new front and rear fascias giving the ute a more sophisticated look.

Like so many other automakers, Kia is looking to jump on the wave of crossover and sport-utility vehicle sales that have driven the market recently with its new 2019 Sorento and 2018 Niro models unveiled in Los Angeles.

The new Sorento and Niro, the South Korean automaker upgrades and fills holes in its utility vehicle portfolio as demand continues to soar. The larger Sorento gets some exterior upgrades as well as additions to its technology features.

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In the highly competitive crossover category, the Sorento is a clear example of how world-class design and craftsmanship are executed,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, KMA. (more…)

The new Mazda6 unveiled at the LA Auto Show borrows some style cues from the Mazda Vision concept.

For a mainstream automaker, Mazda officials spend a lot of time talking about “premium” vehicles lately. And a close look at the mid-cycle update of the brand’s midsize sedan helps put that into perspective.

The latest-generation Mazda6 wins kudos as one of the most attractive vehicles in its segment, and the 2018 update bumps things up a notch, picking up on some of the cues from the recent Mazda Vision concept. There are also a number of interior changes, with details like Napa leather and even real wood trim on the top-line version of the 2018 Mazda6. But there’s more to the story.

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In Mazda’s case, “premium doesn’t mean premium pricing, but a premium bond with your car,” explained Masahiro Moro, president of Mazda’s U.S. operations, during a preview at the Los Angeles Auto Show. (more…)

Toyota's new FT-AC Concept debuted in Los Angeles and offers some insight into how the maker may replace the FJ Cruiser.

With utility vehicles now accounting for half of the American automotive market, manufacturers are reluctant to leave any gaps open. This year’s Los Angeles Auto Show is full of new utes plugging empty “white space,” and as the two-day media preview wraps up, Toyota weighs in with its FT-AC concept.

In this case, the Future Toyota Adventure Concept aims to plug a gap left open by the demise of the old FJ Cruiser, and picks up on the earlier FT-4X prototype unleashed at the New York Auto Show last April.

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“FT-AC is a catalyst,” said Jack Hollis, general manager of the Toyota division. “It’s a medium for breaking everyday routine.” (more…)